


Haikyuu! Danganropa AU!

by AnimeSmash



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dangan Ronpa Fusion, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Bittersweet Ending, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, M/M, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:34:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28674531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimeSmash/pseuds/AnimeSmash
Summary: Eighteen teens find themselves trapped in a game where the only way out is to kill or be killed. Who will survive until the end? Who is the mastermind behind it all?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 20
Kudos: 44





	1. Character Ultimates and Author's Notes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out Behind the Galaxy cause she's doing some awesome stuff!
> 
> Tiktok: @behindthegalaxy7  
> Twitter: @BTGalaxy7  
> IG: behind_the_galaxy_7  
> YT: Behind The Galaxy

Hey guys! Saw this on TikTok and, with permission from the original creator, decided to make it into a fanfic. Below are just the characters and their ultimates because they don't get talked about a whole lot in the story.

Side note: some of your favorites will probably die. It just is what is it. But please enjoy!

_**Characters and Their Ultimates** _

  * Shōyō Hinata: Ultimate Volleyball Player


  * Tobio Kageyama: Ultimate Detective


  * Daichi Sawamura: Ultimate Police Officer


  * Kōshi Sugawara: Ultimate Teacher


  * Ryūnosuke Tanaka: Ultimate Fitness Trainer


  * Yū Nishinoya: Ultimate Delinquent


  * Asahi Azumane: Ultimate Fashion Designer


  * Kei Tsukishima: Ultimate Paleontologist


  * Tadashi Yamaguchi: Ultimate Electrician


  * Shimizu Kiyoko: Ultimate Sports Employee


  * Hitoka Yachi: Ultimate Advisor


  * Tōru Oikawa: Ultimate Baker


  * Kōtarō Bokuto: Ultimate Tax Evader


  * Keiji Asaahi: Ultimate Shonen Manga Editor


  * Tetsurō Kuroo: Ultimate Chemist


  * Kenma Kozume: Ultimate Gamer


  * Wakatoshi Ushijima: Ultimate Farmer


  * Yūji Terushima: Ultimate Hair Stylist



Just a heads up, this will be a slower update because I'm waiting for BehindtheGalaxy7 to do her thing as well! So please be patient with the both of us and enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1: Trust- Before the Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang has just arrived and are trying to make the most out of the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited to start this and I hope you guys are just as excited!

"Hinata, boke! Wake up!"

The ginger groaned, swatting the hand away. "Go away, Bokeyama. I'm tired."

"No, Shōyō. You  _ need  _ to wake up."

Hinata groaned again, but this time, opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around then blinked. He was in a building. It looked like he was lying on the floor of a foyer. He blinked again before looking at Kageyama. "...Where are we?"

"I don't know."

"How did we end up here?"

"I don't know."

"Where are the others-"

"Shut up, Hinata!"

"Hey, hey…there's no need to yell."

The two boys looked up to see two more teens—slightly older—walking towards them. The tall one, with short black hair and brown eyes, had his hand on the lower back of the shorter one, with silver hair and hazel eyes.

Hinata smiled, quickly standing. "Look, Tobio! Other people!"

"I see them, boke."

The boy with the silver hair laughed. "Aren't you an energetic one. What's your name?"

"Hinata Shōyō! And the angry one is Kageyama Tobio."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you both. I'm Sugawara Kōshi and this is Sawamura Daichi."

"It's nice to meet you, Sugawara senpai, Sawamura senpai."

"Oh, that's not necessary. Just call me Suga. Same with Daichi."

"Okay then!" Hinata looked around. "So…is it just the four of us?"

Daichi shook his head. "The others went on ahead. We're supposed to meet in the gym, but we told them that we'd stay behind until you two woke up."

"That's nice of you."

"It's not a problem," Suga smiled as the four started to walk off.

The walk was mostly silent until Hinata started firing off questions. "So how old are you guys?"

"I'm seventeen, but I'm turning eighteen in about a week. Suga's already eighteen. You two?"

"Both of us are sixteen, but I'm older than Bakeyama."

"Quit calling me that, boke."

"Then quit calling me boke!"

Suga laughed. Hinata found it very comforting. "So are you two first-years or second?"

"First," Kaegyama replied. "I'm assuming the both of you are third-years since you're both basically eighteen."

"We are." Suga looked at Daichi with a smile. "Five months from now, we'll both be off to university."

"So…are the two of you…?" Hinata paused, looking at his two senpai's joined hands.

"Dating? Yeah, we are. Have been since about June of our first year."

"That's sweet."

"What about you two?"

"We play volleyball together," Kageyama answered.

"And we're dating! Did you forget that?!" Hinata pouted, causing both Suga and Daichi to laugh. "I'm the decoy! And I'm the best on the team has seen in a while but I really want to be the ace!"

Daichi hummed. "Suga and I play volleyball too. Captain and vice-captain, in fact."

"Really?! You must both be really good. What school?"

Daichi was about to answer but then stopped. He rubbed the back of his neck. "That's odd…it slipped my mind. Oh, well…it's not too important since we'll be graduating soon anyway."

"Ugh…I knew I recognized that annoyingly loud voice."

The four looked up to find themselves in the gym. Kageyama scowled, Hinata smiled. "Look, Tobio! It's Suckishima and Tadashi!"

"I see."

The kid with the glasses groaned as the other boy pulled him by his arm. "C'mon, Tsukki. It's just Hinata and Kageyama. More people we know."

"I have no problem with Yachi. It's just the freak duo that just  _ had  _ to be here. And he just called me Suckishima. Why would I want to talk to him?"

"Be nice, Tsukki."

"You guys know each other?"

Hinata got so excited that he nearly forgot that Suga and Daichi were there." Oh, yeah! Tsukishima and Tadashi play volleyball with us too!"

"You certainly have the height for it," Daichi stuck out his hand. "Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Kōshi. Tsukishima, was it?"

He nodded, pushing up his glasses. "Yes, Tsukishima Kei. The other one is Yamaguchi Tadashi."

"And you said Yachi's here too?" Kageyama asked, looking around.

"Yeah, but she's talking to some other girl."

"Suga! Daichi!"

The third-years turned. Suga waved. "Asahi, hey!"

Hinata gasped. "He looks so old!"

The silverette laughed as Asahi pouted. "Believe it or not, he's the youngest of us three. It's the facial hair, believe me." He turned to the man in question. "These guys are Hinata, Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi. Guys, this is Azumane Asahi. He's a good friend of Daichi and me."

"Nice to meet you guys." He turned his attention back to his friends. "I've told you about my boyfriend, right?"

Daichi nodded. "Nishi?"

"Nishinoya," the short boy replied. "Nishinoya Yū. Nishi is just what Asahi calls me."

"Well, it's nice to meet you all-"

Daichi was interrupted with a laugh. An odd chuckle came from the stage in the gym. They all looked up to see a…black and white teddy bear?

"Puhuhuhu! It's nice to see that you guys are all buddy buddy now. But I'm guessing you're still curious as to why you're here."

"Who are you, you overstuffed teddy bear?" Another boy with spiky black hair, smirking as the bear growled. 

"I am not a teddy bear! And you can call me Monokuma. Now, as to why you're all here…I need a favor from you all. I'm growing rather bored these days and I want some entertainment."

"What do you want us to do?" Tsukki smirked, crossing his arms. "You want us to play dress-up with each other."

"Shut up, Four Eyes!" Tsukki's eyes widened before he scoffed. Monokuma continued. "It's quite simple actually. I want to feed off your despair."

"And that means?"

"We're going to play a little game…A killing game. And there's a catch…you can't get caught." The room went silent. Monokuma laughed. "Why the silence? You guys barely know each other. It can't be too hard."

"But most of them are still children!" Suga spoke without realizing he had. "You drag us—a bunch of teenagers—here to have us kill each other? I don't know who you are, but that's not happening."

"Sugawara, was it?" Suga gulped, taking a step back from Monokuma, causing him to back up into Daichi. He felt Daichi squeeze his hands gently. "You're the oldest of the group. It makes sense that you'd be the most concerned…but I advise all of you not to tempt me."

"Or what?"

"It seems like Rooster here is full of questions. But very well…" A screen came down from the ceiling. "This is what will happen if you try to tempt me."

A video popped up—one of Monokuma himself—and a gun…that shot him. Multiple times.

The room was silent, save for a gasp from Tadashi as the screen retracted.

"I'd much rather you kill each other, but I won't hesitate if someone steps out of line." He surveyed the room. "And with so many cute couples in the room, this ought to be interesting."

"You really think that we're going to kill each other when we could just leave?" Another black-haired boy, seemingly younger than both Daichi and Rooster (as Monokuma called him), asked.

"Did I ever say that you could just leave?"

His eyebrows raised. "What?"

"I haven't told you all yet? You don't get to leave this place."

There was a collective murmur. Daichi was the first to speak. "The police will-"

"The police don't know where this place is. You guys are never leaving this place." That sent the whole group into a downward spiral. Someone started crying. It sounded like Tadashi, but Hinata couldn't tell. He almost missed Monokuma saying something else.

"I'll give you eighteen some time to explore and get to know each other. I suggest you use this chance to look at your digital handbooks too. A bell will ring when dinner's ready. Until then, carpe diem!" With that, he leapt behind the podium.

Rooster scoffed. "'Until then, carpe diem' my ass. Hey, you…" He walked up to Suga. "Teddy Bear said that you were the oldest. That true?"

"I'm…I suppose?" He saw Daichi walk up behind him in his peripheral.

Rooster smirked. "Tell your bodyguard boyfriend to back off. I'm not here to cause trouble. You don't seem like much of a troublemaker. A bit mischievous, but not trouble." He stuck out his hand. "The name's Kuroo. Kuroo Tetsurō. I think I'm gonna like you."

He smiled, shaking Kuroo's hand. "Likewise. Glad I don't have to call you Rooster anymore. The name's Sugawara Kōshi, but you can call me Suga. My boyfriend's name is Daichi. Sorry if he made you uncomfortable."

"Suga…" Daichi pouted, causing both Suga and Kuroo to laugh.

"At least your's seems to care. I don't think mine has realized that we're stuck here for the rest of our lives."

Suga's smile dropped. "So he was serious then." 

Daichi looked at him. "About what?"

"When Monokuma said that there were a lot of couples." He looked around. "We need to find a way out of here."

"I agree. Let's split up into groups and look around."

* * *

The group assembled in the dining area a couple days later to find a brunette coming out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of bread. Kageyama growled at his place next to Hinata. "Something wrong, Kage-"

"Tobio! I've been trying to talk to you since we got here. You've been avoiding me."

"Tobio? You know this guy, Kageyama?"

"I wish I didn't." He rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Oikawa?"

"Is that any way to talk to your senpai?" His eyes met Hinata's. "Who's your tiny friend here?"

"I'm Hinata Shōyō! Are you a friend of Kageyama's?"

"Something like that. Name's Oikawa Tōru."

"What do you want, Trashykawa?"

"Don't worry. I'm not here to start anything." He went to address the rest of the group. "Didn't find much. But I did find out that we have a fully functioning, fully stocked kitchen. So I made some milk bread. To kind of break the ice in a crappy situation."

"How do we know it's not poisoned?"

Hinata gasped. "Kageyama!"

Oikawa's smile dropped. "You may not like me, Tobio, but I'm offended that you think I would try and  _ poison  _ anyone. Insult me all you want, but I'm not a killer."

"Prove it? You take the first piece."

"Fine. You choose it for me. That way I can prove that they're not poisoned because it will be random."

Hinata looked to his right as a group of people walked up beside him. Suga was the first to acknowledge him with a frown. "What's going on? Why are Oikawa and Kageyama fighting?"

"Not sure. Oikawa came up to him and they started arguing."

"Where have you all been?" Tsukishima walked up to the large group.

"Casino." One of the boys with black and white hair answered with a smirk. "Jealous, Skinny?"

"Don't call me that."

"Wait, there's a casino?! I wanna go!"

Suga smiled, ruffling Hinata's hair. "Sorry, kiddo. You gotta be seventeen. Monokuma's orders."

"What did I tell you, Tobio? They're not poisoned." He turned to the now larger group. "I made milk bread that's  _ not  _ poisoned if anyone wants some."

With a sigh, Suga was the first to walk forward, taking some of the milk bread. "You've been at this for a few hours now, right?" He took a bit, his eyes widening. He laughed. "Daichi, you have to try these! They're amazing!"

That seemed to break the ice and soon, it was like the confrontation never happened. When all the milk bread was gone, most of the group retired for the night.

* * *

It had been about three days since the eighteen boys were brought there, and it was safe to say that a lot of them had actually made friends. So much so that later that night, a group of them had decided to go back into the casino.

"Oikawa's still asleep? He missed dinner." Suga's brows furrowed. "Maybe we should go check on him."

"It seemed like he was baking all through the night though," Akaashi answered, being the first to scan his handbook to get into the casino. "Plus, when we saw him at breakfast, he had left in a hurry saying that he was tired."

"Speaking of, are you feeling better now, Daichi?"

He nodded, squeezing his boyfriend's hand. "I'm fine now. Maybe there was something bad in his bread today." He frowned. "Just let him sleep, Kōshi. I'm sure he's fine."

"No one even saw him now that I think about it," Kuroo added, holding the door open as Akaashi and Bokuto walked in. "We all just heard him leave the kitchen."

"So he might just be a-" Akaashi stopped abruptly, nearly causing Bokuto to run into him. 

He grabbed the raven-haired teen's hand. "Akaashi? Keiji…what's wr-" He stopped just as abruptly, his eyes going wide. " Hey, Daichi…you're the Ultimate Police Officer, right?"

"Um, yeah…why?"

"You might wanna come see this."

Bokuto was unusually quiet. It made Daichi's stomach twist into knots.

Slowly, one-by-one after Daichi, they all filed into the casino.

Suga gasped the loudest, followed by Asahi.

"A body has been discovered!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dun...who is the first victim? You'll have to wait and see!
> 
> Don't forget to check Behind the Galaxy's TikTok and Twitter for updates and more fun stuff!
> 
> See you guys l8tr!


	3. Chapter 1: Trust- The Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa Tōru was found dead by the third years. Now, the trial for his killer will begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this one out! Purely my fault. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed and don't forget to check out Behind the Galaxy for all her awesome stuff!
> 
> Tiktok: @behindthegalaxy7  
> Twitter: @BTGalaxy7  
> IG: behind_the_galaxy_7  
> YT: Behind The Galaxy
> 
> Side note: when Hinata gets to the recap of the killing, what's in italics is what's being said between Oikawa and the blackened and what's in the regular font is Hinata talking

"Is that…Oikawa?"

"Asahi, you need to breathe. You're shaking."

"Oh, God, Nishi…someone killed him."

"You really think it was one of us?" Everyone turned to Hinata. "It's been four days! We were all becoming friends-"

"Look in front of you, Shorty," Tsukki pushed up his glasses. "Oikawa's clearly dead. And one of us did it."

"But…what if it was Monokuma? It had to be! None of us would kill each other!"

"Afraid not, Tangerine." One of the screens in the casino lit up to show Monokuma sitting in a chair. "I said I'd only kill if someone stepped outta line. Pretty Boy was killed by one of you."

"That's so cruel…" Tadashi whispered, his lip quivering. He turned to Tsukishima, tears welling in his eyes. "Who would do something like this?"

"After about thirty minutes, you guys get to discuss that, Freckle Face. So you can either take that time to sob over a dead stranger, or you can get to work and find some clues."

Tsukishima growled, placing a hand on Yamaguchi's lower back as the latter wiped his eyes, rubbing small circles with his thumb. "You sick bastard…"

Monokuma laughed. "Twenty-nine minutes!" Then the screen turned off.

Daichi and Kageyama both stood simultaneously. Daichi was the one who spoke. “He was stabbed.”

“Wow…way to go, Ultimate Police Officer,” Kuroo scoffed, crossing his arms. He seemed to be one of the only ones who had gotten over the fact that Oikawa was lying dead in front of them.

Daichi’s eyes narrowed. “...Multiple times. The object in question seemed to be rather wide in width, as well as long.”

“It’s safe to assume that it was a knife,” Kageyama continued, looking at Daichi. “But with no murder weapon left on the scene, it’s hard to say for certain.”

“For now, let’s just split up and start looking for clues. We don’t have a lot of time.”

* * *

_30 mins later…_

The seventeen teens had gathered in front of a large elevator that Monokuma had told them to come to. The air was tense. Hinata looked around. Yamaguchi was still sobbing into Tsukishima’s chest, Noya, Daichi, and Suga were still trying to calm down Asahi, and everyone else was speaking in hushed whispers as the doors opened. They all looked at each other before stepping in.

The ride was silent, and it stayed that way until they entered what looked to be a courtroom with eighteen stands in a circle. A picture of Oikawa, set about to his height, sat at one of the empty stands. Tsukishima was the one to break the silence with his usual stoic attitude. “Why the picture of Oikawa?”

“I felt that everyone should be included in the class trials. Who knows? They might have something valuable to say.” He laughed.

Tadashi shook his head. “You think this is funny?! Someone just _died_ and you _laugh_ about it?!”

“I said that you eighteen were here for my entertainment, but enough about me. I’ll give you a quick rundown as you find your places. Choose carefully…you could be standing next to the killer.” He laughed again as everyone stood at a stand. “Alright…here’s the rundown. Oikawa Tōru was found in the casino room at 9 pm today. He was lying in his own pool of blood! The cause of death? Twenty-four stab wounds with a kitchen knife. Here's how it's gonna work. If you can figure out "whodunit", then only one will receive punishment! However, pick the wrong one and everyone except the blackened will receive punishment! That about does it for the preamble! Now…let the class trial begin.”

The group looked at each other for a long time before Daichi spoke. “Okay…let’s start with the basics. There were no blood patterns that showed that the body was moved. The culprit must have been in the casino with him. And I heard that Asahi was going to the casino-”

“Wait! I didn’t do it!”

Noya shot Daichi a dirty glare as he continued. “I’m not saying you did it, Asahi…you would never harm a fly. But you said you were going to head to the casino a bit earlier than the rest of us-”

“Hang on,” Yachi interrupted, turning to Daichi. “Asahi was with me in the library helping me find a book to read. We got there at about eight and stayed there for about an hour. That was when Asahi said he was going to head to the casino, but by then, Monokuma came on with the dead body discovery. Not to mention the fact that the kitchen—where the knife was taken—is about a five-minute walk from the library and that doesn’t even include how long it takes to get to the casino. He couldn’t have done it.”

“Thank you, Yachi.” Asahi smiled at the younger man before turning to his right where Daichi was standing. “Am I clear?”

“I never honestly thought it was you in the first place,” Daichi sighed, rubbing his temple. “You were just the only person I know who wasn’t in the group and I’m just grasping at straws here.”

“It’s alright. It’s stressful, I get it.”

“Alright…let’s start over,” Suga squeezed Daichi’s arm. “Anyone else have anything?”

The room was silent before Bokuto gasped. “Wait! I was in the kitchen getting more of Oikawa’s cookies he made and I found headphones on the floor! I just assumed that they were his so I left them there thinking he’d pick them up later.”

“They were still there when we were looking for clues,” Hinata responded. “So he probably left them before he went to the casino.”

“Okay,” Suga prompted. “So he had them with him in the kitchen.”

“So he must have been listening to music while making his milk bread today…”

Suga looked up at Ushijima. “I don’t think he was.”

“How would you know?”

“A few days ago, Oikawa mentioned that he only wore headphones while running…”

* * *

_“Where are you off to, cutie?”_

_Suga turned around. “Oh, hey, Oikawa! Just meeting up with Daichi and Asahi.” His eyes fell to the brunette’s neck. “What about you? Were you listening to music while baking?”_

_“Oh no. I usually carry these around but I don’t wear them very often. They’re noise canceling so it gets kind of hard when I’m doing something else. I’m just going for a jog to take a quick break then I’ll probably head back to my room.”_

_“Cool! See you at dinner I guess!” The silverette waved goodbye as Oikawa put his headphones back on as he jogged past Sugawara._

* * *

“Who would just want to run for fun?” Hinata asked, though it was more to himself than out loud.

“He said that they were noise-canceling, so he never wore them if he was doing something that called for his attention. So if he was listening to music while baking, it wasn’t through his headphones.”

“So they were just conveniently dropped there?” Kuroo asked.

Suga shook his head. “He told me that he always carries them on him. Kind of like Tsukishima does. Maybe they just fell out of his pocket or something.”

“But even if he did like listening to music while baking, he would need a speaker if he didn’t like wearing his headphone,” Hinata added, looking at Monokuma. “Monokuma explained to us that there were no Bluetooth devices in the area. Right?”

“Right you are, Ginger. Can’t have you guys trying to connect to something in the outside world. Plus, your phones don’t work. So unless the music was pre-downloaded, there’d be no way to play it.”

“So Oikawa wouldn’t have been distracted in any way before he was killed.”

“Which means that the killer had to be with him,” Nishinoya exclaimed, looking at Hinata. “Otherwise he would have heard him coming!”

“Hold it, you two.” The group turned to look at Tsukishima, who was looking straight at Hinata. “How do we know that you’re not defending Kageyama? After all, he had bad blood with the victim from the beginning.”

“But…” Hinata looked at Kageyama, who was simply glaring at Tsukki. He shook his head. “Tobio couldn’t have! He was with me the whole time.”

“With you as you both plotted to kill Oikawa? Give me one good reason of how those two’s prior relationship, or rather, lack thereof, isn’t a proper motive to kill?”

“I see that it’s going to be hard to convince you, Tsukishima, but I have to try!”

“What makes you think that it was Hinata _and_ Kageyama?” Akaashi asked, looking at the group, but addressing Monokuma. “Can anything really be gained from having an accomplice if we’re all supposed to kill each other?”

“Wow, you learn fast, Chatterbox!” Monokuma laughed, causing Akaashi to roll his eyes. “I never said that you _couldn’t_ have an accomplice, but the person considered the blackened is the one that makes the killing blow, so there can only be one!”

“Alright then,” Tsukishima turned back to Kageyama with a smirk. “Remember the fight Oikawa and Kageyama had in the cafeteria last night? That should be an obvious motivation for the killing. And what do you know? He turns up dead the next day. Coincidence? I think not.”

“Well, do you have any solid proof that Kageyama did it? We gotta think thoroughly before we jump to conclusions-”

“You want proof? How about the strawberry milk spilled right outside the casino door? Kiyoko mentioned that he was carrying it around the entire day when we were looking for clues.”

“We were all served strawberry milk this morning. And we each only had one and Kageyama drank his at breakfast. And just by smelling it, the milk was fresh outta the fridge.”

“Kageyama could have gone back to the kitchen to get milk. Oikawa mentioned that the kitchen is always fully stocked, so they could’ve just restocked the milk. Along with that, he could’ve gotten the knife and hide the blood scent with strawberry milk. It’s stronger than regular milk so it would’ve done the job-”

“Hold it, both of you.” They were both surprised to be interrupted by Kuroo. “I don’t know how often the two of you drink milk, but no way in hell was that fresh. It had a sour smell to it. I noticed it when we were walking down the hallway to the casino but didn’t think anything of it.”

Tsukishima scoffed. “Why don’t we ask the milkaholic what he thinks?”

“It wasn’t fresh. Not to mention the fact that strawberry milk isn’t my go-to choice of milk. I’ll drink it, but I wouldn’t go back for seconds. It smelt like it had been split almost a day ago.”

“Now that I think about it,” Teru added. “Didn’t Sugawara say that you had to be seventeen to enter the casino? How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

Kuroo tapped his chin. “Alright…you said that Kageyama was with you all day, Shorty. So what were the two of you doing?”

“We were at the volleyball court.”

“For the whole day?”

“They’re pretty competitive,” Tadashi replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “They used to stay hours after practice until our captain had to literally drag them out. It’s not surprising that they were in there for most of the day.”

“And it’s right by the library, and like Yachi said, it makes time to get to the kitchen from there, so Tobio wouldn’t even have time to get a knife, much less enter the casino.”

“I think that’s proof enough that neither Kageyama nor Hinata did it,” Suga said, stopping the argument before it got too heated. “That’s four people who are clear of suspicion.” He sighed. “That still leaves thirteen of us, though.”

“Hold on!” The ginger’s outburst stopped Suga’s thought process. The first-year turned to the man next to him. “Daichi, didn’t you tell Sugawara that you were feeling a bit sick after the milk bread you had this morning?”

“Yeah…come to think of it, the milk bread was a bit off, especially for the Ultimate Baker.” He held his stomach. “It makes me sick just thinking about it. At first, I thought it was just because I had to warm it up so I thought it was just me-”

“You had to warm it up?” Suga asked. 

Daichi looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Yeah? Why?"

"It isn't like Oikawa to not tell people when he's finished baking. Plus, bread is one of those things that's best when it's fresh, so I'm surprised that he just left it out. It'll grow stale."

"It was a little hard."

"Did Oikawa make them?" Everyone turned to look at Akaashi. 

Hinata gasped. "Monokuma never told us _when_ Oikawa was killed."

Kuroo raised a brow. "Yeah, and?"

"He wasn't there when Daichi went to get milk bread this morning around breakfast and Kageyama said that the milk stain smelt like it had been out for almost a day. Who says that any of this had to be recent."

Suga gasped, smiling. "That would explain the smell! We talked about how some of us had only heard from Oikawa but never saw him during breakfast. What if that person was just _pretending_ to be Oikawa? What if the body had been in the casino since _before_ breakfast?"

"You think…" Akaashi stopped. "It makes sense." He turned to Bokuto. “Were the cookies warm when you went to go get one earlier?” 

Bokuto shook his head.

Suga sagged in relief. “So we’ve managed to figure out one thing. Between the old milk and the bread and cookies left out, I think we can safely say that Oikawa was killed before breakfast.” He turned to Hinata, giving him a smile. “Nice thinking Shōyō!”

The ginger blushed. “Oh…thanks, Suga.”

“Alright,” Kuroo began. “So breakfast starts at eight and we all left the cafeteria at around eleven. So that gives the killer a nine-hour window…”

Hinata turned to the boy on his right. “Hey, Tobio?”

Kageyama looked at him. “What?”

“How come you didn’t try and defend yourself against Suckishima?”

The raven-haired teen laughed. “I could’ve said something about the milk a while ago but you just looked so excited. I didn’t wanna make you feel dumb.”

He pouted. “Wow…even when our lives are on the line, you always find a way to insult me.”

Someone clearing their throat brought the two out of their side conversation. They turned to face Kiyoko. “It’s great that we got the time of death out of the way, but that still doesn’t explain the headphones.”

“The killer could’ve just dropped them,” Kenma shrugged. “They had to go to the kitchen to get the milk to cover the stench.”

“But wouldn’t there be blood on the headphones if they went there after killing Oikawa?” Ushijima asked.

“Not if they cleaned up first,” Teru answered. “Nine hours is kinda a long time.”

“Wait, everyone!” They all stopped, those closest to Bokuto (i.e. Akaashi) covering their ears as the teen shouted in excitement. “Bokuto had an epiphany!”

The younger boy scoffed. “I’m surprised you even know what that means.”

Bokuto stared at his boyfriend, pouting. “Akaashi, are you saying that I…that I dumb?” He looked like he was going to cry. “Man, that hurts. What’s even the point?” He hung his head and the room went silent.

Akaashi sighed. “Kōtarō…I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad.”

“But you called me stupid, Akaashi-”

“I did not call you stupid…”

“Uh…” Teru was the first to interject. “What just happened to Bokuto?”

Akaashi pinched the bridge of his nose. “Whenever he gets upset or defensive, he goes into this…emo mode. He doesn’t talk and he honestly gets kind of pitiful until someone snaps him out of it, which is usually _me_ but…” He just sighed again.

“Seriously?!” He turned to Bokuto. “You think now is a good time to go all emo mode?! We’re in the middle of a trial, man!”

“My idea is stupid anyway…” Somehow, Bokuto’s head hung even lower.

“Come on!”

“Terushima, Akaashi…” They both turned to face Suga, who simply looked at them with a smile, head slightly tilted to the side. “Is that any way to talk to your prison mate? Now he’s all sad and won’t say anything.”

“Sorry, Suga…” They both mumbled at the same time. looking away from their senpai.

“Good! Now, let me see if I can get to Bokuto.” He turned to the man in question. “Bokuto, it’s okay! Tell us your idea! I’m sure it’s very helpful!”

There was a brief silence before Bokuto started to slowly lift his head before looking at Suga. “You really mean it, Sugawara senpai?”

“Of course I do!”

He instantly perked up.”Did you hear that, Akaashi? Suga thinks that my idea is good!”

He smiled. “I heard, Bokuto.”

“Wow…” Yamaguchi whistled, turning to Suga. “That was quick. How did you do that, Sugawara?”

“It’s just kind of his thing,” Daichi replied. “He’s kind of like a mom in that sense.”

Suga turned beet red. “I am not!”

Daichi laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with it, Suga.”

“I actually think it’s really sweet.”

Suga smiled at Yamaguchi before turning back to Bokuto, still rather flustered. “So…that idea of yours?”

“Oh, right! Anyway, what I was going to say was that what if Oikawa was the one who dropped the headphones? As a sign for us to find the true killer? What did they look like, Sugawara?”

“They were just generic white headphones. They could’ve been anyone’s.”

They were interrupted by Monokuma, who laughed in amusement. “What’s this? Two counterarguments?”

“Are you gonna tell us which one is right?” Hinata asked, though he already knew the answer.

“That’s not for me to decide. Where’s the fun in that, Ginger? In fact, now is a good time for a good ol’ fashion debate scrum!”

“Debate scrum? What’s that?”

“He just means a normal debate,” Tsukishima answered. “Which is what we’ve been doing this whole time so I don’t see how _now_ is a good time to _start_.”

“You’re really getting on my nerves, Four Eyes! Just finish your debate.”

“Anyway,” Noya interrupted. “I think the killer had the headphones.”

“But why would the killer even carry them around? If they were trying not to leave any crumbs, why would they carry something that can easily be dropped?” Everyone turned to Suga. “What?”

“Did you just out yourself, Sugawara?” Kuroo asked, smirking as the silverette puffed out his cheeks.

“No, I didn’t! To set the record straight, I was in my room the whole night. You can ask Daichi and Asahi because they would’ve heard me leave, but that’s beside the point,” he huffed. “If the key to surviving is not getting caught for killing someone, wouldn’t it make sense to hide all the evidence? And I’m pretty sure if they did drop the headphones, they would’ve heard them hit the ground. The kitchen is tiled, so they would’ve made a sound.”

“What about Tsukishima?” Kuroo asked, seemingly satisfied with Suga’s answer (not that he ever thought it was him. Their rooms were right across from each other and he didn’t hear anything). “He always carries headphones around-”

“Tsukki would never!” Yamaguchi interrupted.

“And why’s that?”

“He…He had an alibi last night.”

“And that would be?”

He blushed. “Well, I…I got scared…so I asked Tsukki to sleep with me last night. We’re both pretty light sleepers, especially me when I get nervous…and Tsukki never got out of bed.”

Kuroo only looked at the blonde, waiting for an answer. Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “So what if I slept with Tadashi? Is that a problem? And besides, if those headphones were mine, I wouldn’t be wearing them around my neck right now. I only have one pair. Anyone with half a brain cell could see that.”

“Besides,” Kiyoko interrupted before the conversation could escalate. “When Tanaka and I checked the headphones, they were functioning just fine.”

“And what does that mean? I’m sure Glasses has perfectly-”

“Tsukishima mentioned that his were very laggy.”

Kuroo looked at Tsukishima before looking at Yamaguchi, waiting for confirmation. “He uses earbuds when we listen to music together so I don’t have to worry about laggy music.”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. “Really, Tadashi?”

“Sorry, Tsukki.”

“Well anyone could have laggy headphones,” Asahi countered. “How do we know that Oikawa’s did just become laggy or something?”

“He cringed about Tsukki’s headphones before.” Bokuto laughed at the memory.

“Don’t call me that-”

“So why would he use his if they were the same way?”

* * *

_“Hey, Tsukki, was it?”_

_“It’s Tsukkishima.”_

_“Come on, Tsukkipoo. Don’t be like that.”_

_He sighed, glaring at Bokuto, who was sitting at the table next to him with Akaashi, before he turned back to Oikawa. “What do you want?”_

_“I had planned on going for a quick little walk after lunch but I left my headphones in my room. Can I use yours? I’ll give them back.”_

_“Why can’t you just go back to your room?”_

_“But it’s so far,” he whined, pouting. “It won’t be a long walk, I promise.”_

_He rolled his eyes with a huff. “Fine, but they’re a little laggy in one ear. You have thirty minutes-”_

_“Never mind.” He looked down at Tsukishima with a frown._

_“What?”_

_“I don’t want them if they’re laggy.”_

_“Is it really that big of a deal?”_

_“Yes, it’s a big deal! I don’t wanna listen to music if it’s laggy! That’s like listening to two different songs at the same time! It’s disgustingly sad.”_

_“Well then, I guess you’re going back to your room.” He turned back to Yamaguchi, who gave Oikawa an apologetic smile._

_“So mean, Tsukki-chan.” With a wink, he walked off._

* * *

Kageyama scoffed. “What a snob.”

“Point is,” Kiyoko continued. “Unless someone else has headphones that we don’t know about, the only two pairs in the building are Oikawa’s and Tsukishima’s. Considering that Tsukishima is wearing his around his neck and that the ones in the kitchen functioned properly, I think it’s safe to say that the headphones were Oikawa’s.”

“I still think that it’s too early to decide,” Ushijima countered. “Was there anything else on the headphones that proves that they’re Oikawa’s?”

The group went silent for a minute before Hinata gasped. “Me and Kenma found something on the handle! But it was just a bunch of dots.”

“A bunch of dots?” Suga pursed his lips. “Are you sure?”

“Positive!”

“That could have been dirt or something,” Tanaka countered.

“But it looked like they were drawn on there with marker.”

“Do you have a picture, Hinata?” Suga asked.

“He doesn’t, but I do.” Kenma pulled out his phone, watching as it was passed around the group.

“Is there some sort of pattern to it?” Yachi asked once it had gotten back to Kenma.

“It’s actually Morse Code. I checked and everything.”

“Do you know what it says?”

“That’s the thing. It just said ‘Uw’. I don’t know if that means something to anyone else, but I don’t get it.”

“‘Uw’?” Hinata thought about it. “Is it a word or something?”

“Not one that I’ve ever heard of,” Kageyama answered.

“Maybe an acronym?” Yamaguchi suggested.

He wasn’t greeted with a response for another couple of seconds before Daichi’s eyebrows furrowed. “Hey, Ushijima…what did you say your first name was again?”

“What?”

“Your first name. What is it?”

"Why?"

"I'm just curious." Daichi frowned. "Why are you so hesitant? It should be a simple question."

"Isn't it like Watari or something?" Hinata asked.

"It's Wakatoshi," Ushijima corrected with a sigh. "But I don't see what that has to be with Oikawa's headphones."

"Uw isn't a word," Daichi answered, looking Ushijima in the eyes. "It was Oikawa's dying message. The initials of his killer: Ushijima Wakatoshi."

All eyes turned to Ushijima. "Me? That was quite the conclusion you’ve jumped to, Sawamura."

"It's really not though," Hinata interrupted, looking between Suga, Daichi, and Akaashi. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm thinking that this is how it went down. Let's say that everything took place around 3 am when we were all in our rooms…

* * *

“The killer asked Oikawa to meet them at the casino, somewhere far away from our rooms. On his way there, he grabbed the knife from the kitchen. But what the killer didn’t know…was that Oikawa wrote down every person’s name he’d ran into today in Morse Code on his function headphones and left them somewhere where the killer wouldn’t notice. The killer wanted to convince him of something, but Oikawa turned the offer down.”

_“What do you want, Ushiwaka? My milk bread still needs mixing so I don’t have a lot of time.”_

_“Ushiwaka? I’m surprised you still remember that name.”_

_“I wish I could’ve forgotten it.” Oikawa huffed, looking around. “I’m assuming that you didn’t come here to gamble with me, so what is it that you want?”_

_“Same old conversation between us,” Ushijima smirked. “But what if I told you there was a twist?”_

_The brunette rolled his eyes. “For the last time, I’m not going to Shiratorizawa with you, so just drop it. When we get out of here, I’m going right back to-”_

_“Even if going to Shiratorizawa would guarantee your survival?”_

_“What are you talking about?”_

_“I just had a chat with Monokuma. He knows of our past…disagreements, but he was willing to put all of that aside if we came to a compromise.”_

_“And that would be?”_

_“We have to work together to kill one person and not get caught.”_

_“But there’s a rule saying that it’s the person who actually kills someone who gets to go free.”_

_“That’s where he struck a deal. He thought it’d be impossible for us to work together, so he said if we could, he’d let us both go free. You just have to go to Shira-”_

_He was cut off by Oikawa’s laughter. “Really? You expect me to believe that? Who’s to say that this isn’t some ploy just to get me to finally agree to go to that hellhole you call a school.” His smile dropped. “I’ve said it once, I’ll say it until my dying breath. I’m not going to Shiratorizawa and no way in hell would I ever want to work with you.”_

_“Then I guess those really will be your dying words.”_

_“What-”_

“The killer was pissed, so they grabbed their knife from before and stabbed Oikawa twenty-four times out of pure rage. After cleaning off the evidence from their clothes, they needed to get rid of the stench of blood from the casino. So they used the strawberry milk that was supposed to be for breakfast, which had a pretty strong scent. To hold everyone off, the killer pretended to be Oikawa and baked his favorite food, milk bread.”

_“You’re still baking, Oikawa? Did you ever go to sleep?”_

_Ushijima panicked. He recognized the voice. It was Suga. He couldn’t risk the silverette coming into the kitchen, but he couldn’t kill him either unless he wanted to bank on the fact that Suga was alone, which he probably wasn’t._

_Instead, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “No, I was very…I tuckered out without cleaning last night. I’ve been done since about five. I’m just gonna clean up then head off to bed.”_

_“Do you want some help?” Another voice. This time, it sounded like Akaashi._

_“No, I’m good. Go enjoy breakfast. I’ll see you guys around lunch!”_

_He let out a breath as the footsteps disappeared._

* * *

“However, they used strawberry milk as a substitute since there wasn’t anything else, which is why Daichi felt sick. And besides the Ultimate Baker, the only other person that would try and make bread would be the Ultimate Famer, Ushijima Wakatoshi!” He turned to the man in question. “Does that sound about right?”

“So you’re basing this whole story off of some letters on a pair of headphones.”

“You had no alibi,” Akaashi countered. “Cause come to think of it, you showed up late to breakfast.”

“I slept in.”

“Maybe so. But you conveniently walked in not long after “Oikawa” left? I find that suspicious at best.”

“And another thing,” Kenma added. “When Kuroo and I were checking out Oikawa’s room, we found a journal of names, _our_ names. It looked like a journal of people he’d seen that day.”

“And what do ya know?” Kuroo smirked. “It seems that he went back to his room before he met you at the casino because _your_ name is the only one in the journal for today’s date.”

“Someone else could’ve written it-”

“The handwriting was the exact same. The gig is up, Ushijima.” Kuroo turned to Monokuma. “C’mon, Teddy Bear. Let’s vote.”

“For the last time, it’s Monokuma!” A tablet appeared in front of the stands, each with everybody’s name on it. “Just select who you think the killer is, and whoever has the most votes is deemed the blackened.”

It wasn’t long before the screen above Monokuma buzzed to life. It circled through their names like a roulette before it settled on Ushijima, followed by confetti and celebratory horns.

“Congratulations!” They all turned to Monokuma. “Oikawa Tōru’s killer was Ushijima Wakatoshi!”

“Did you really promise him and Oikawa freedom if he killed someone?” Hinata asked, looking at Ushijima with a look of pity.

Monokuma laughed. “Of course I didn’t! He made all of that up! I knew nothing about it.” The room grew silent again. “Aw well, enough diddle daddle. It’s Punishment Time!”

**_<https://youtu.be/naGmW2ylgkE?t=450> (This is the execution...I won't do it justice if I try to explain it in writing. It'll be like this for everyone)_ **

* * *

And just like that, Ushijima was dead. They all looked at each other, no one knowing what to do or say.

Hinata looked around. Most of them looked petrified. Yamaguchi, Asahi, and Yachi all looked like they were ready to pass out at any second.

Monokuma’s voice rang out above them. “ _Wasn’t that an interesting show? You guys are all dismissed. I know it’s pretty late. Off to bed, you go! Remember to lock your doors!_ ”

They all trickled off little by little in silence. Hinata couldn’t help but stare at the heavy door, looking at Ushijima’s body. 

“Hinata?” The ginger jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Kageyama looking at him. “What’s wrong? I mean…besides what we just saw but…”

“I sent him to his death.”

“No, you didn’t-”

“I did! I was the one who pieced everything together and Ushijima couldn’t say no! I sent him to his death.”

“He decided that he would accept death as a possibility as soon as he killed Oikawa.” The two teens looked up to see that Daichi and Suga hadn’t left yet. “If anything, I was the one who put his initials and this name together, Hinata,” Daichi reassured him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“And Yamaguchi was the one who suggested that it might have been an acronym or that it stood for something,” Suga continued. “So in a way, it was all of us who played a part in Ushijima’s death.” He gave the two a sad smile.”Now, try and go to bed. I know that it’ll be tough but…stay together for the night. Okay?” He looked at Kageyama. “I think Hinata needs the support and I'm sure you do too.”

The raven-haired teen nodded, watching as Suga and Daichi left. “You ready, Shōyō?”

He nodded, not saying anything else as he buried himself into Kageyama’s side, walking to the latter’s room.

They passed Tsukishima’s room and heard sobbing. It was obvious that it wasn’t from Tsukki.

The others weren’t faring any better.

Asahi had thrown up as soon as he and Noya got to his room, Yachi sobbed in her room by herself, and most of the others hardly caught a wink of sleep that night. Hinata himself didn't let himself cry until he and Kageyama were safely tucked into bed.

But this was their new reality.

The first step had been taken, and no one knew what lied ahead.

* * *

_**Participants: 18** _

_**Remaining Survivors: 16** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was Ushijima! Who knew?  
> Anyway, the second trial is also finished. I just need to get that one typed out.  
> Stay tuned and see you guys l8tr!
> 
> Here's the art for this chapter as well: https://mobile.twitter.com/BTGalaxy7/status/1347974198250123265


	4. Chapter 2: Revenge- Before the Trial/BDA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been three days since Ultimate Farmer, Ushijima Wakatoshi has killed Ultimate Baker, Oikawa Tōru. Three days of almost normalcy until Monokuma tells them that the next blackened will get not only money if they can escape, but also anything that they desire granted.  
> Is it enough to spark another killing? Who will it be and whodunit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since I've posted! Purely my fault (again).  
> Anyway, this chapter is a bit of a doozy, so get ready for a wild ride.  
> And remember to follow Behind the Galaxy on all her social media platforms.
> 
> Tiktok: @behindthegalaxy7  
> Twitter: @BTGalaxy7  
> IG: behind_the_galaxy_7  
> YT: Behind The Galaxy

When Hinata walked into the cafeteria the next day, he found that he was one of the first ones there. Which was surprising because he was usually always one of the last. But today, the only people in there were Daichi, Suga, Kuroo, Kenma, Bokuto, and Akaashi. He sat down with them all at the big table in the middle. “Are you feeling better?” Suga asked, handing him a cup of water.

“I hardly got any sleep last night, but I’m okay.”

Suga gave him a sad smile. “Same here. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw were Ushijima and Oikawa. It’s tough, I know-”

“Don’t pull any of that ‘we’ll get through this together’ crap. It’s disgusting, Sugawara.” Kuroo rolled his eyes.

“Would you rather we just do what Monokuma says and kill each other?” Akaashi asked, seemingly disinterested about the whole conversation. “You saw what happened to Ushijima. Do you really wanna risk it?”

“I never said that I was going to kill anyone. You said it yourself during the trial, Sugawara. We’re prison mates. That Build-a-Bear has us under lock and key.”

The silverette smirked. “Build-a-Bear?”

“Kenma came up with it last night.”

The blonde shrugged. “You just always called him a teddy bear, so I just call him a Build-a-Bear.”

“Another name for that overgrown children’s toy?”

The group looked up to see Tsukishima enter the cafeteria, Yamaguchi not far behind him.

“Hey, Tsukipoo.” Bokuto smiled, though the same enthusiasm wasn’t really there.

“I told you to stop with that ridiculous name.” He and Tadashi sat at the smaller round table.

“No breakfast today?” Yamaguchi asked, looking around.

“Even if we did, I don’t think anyone has the stomach to eat anything,” Daichi sighed, leaning back in his chair. He wouldn’t admit it allowed, but he was still pretty shaken over what happened.

“Well, we can’t just sit here!” Hinata suddenly shouted, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Well, what do you wanna do, Shrimpy?”

The ginger looked at Tsukki. “We go up to Monokuma and tell him that this isn’t right-”

“And what is he gonna do?” Kuroo asked, raising a brow. “Apologize for putting us through this and just let us go? News flash, pretty sure we’re stuck here.”

“Then we find a way to escape!”

“How?” Akaashi looked towards the kitchen. “Monokuma said that there’s no escaping this place. And we already tried looking and we came up short. This campus is huge. So large that even if there was a gate or something, we’d probably be caught before we even reached it.”

“And that’s assuming that the gates aren’t heavily guarded.” Suga paled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we were instantly killed if we tried to escape.”

Hinata pouted. “How could you guys give up so easily?!”

“Two of us are dead, Hinata!” The ginger turned, surprised to see that Yamaguchi was the one who’d spoken. “I don’t wanna lose hope either but…look around. There’s no possible way that any of us could get out of here. Not unless we kill someone and escape.”

“We’re not killing anyone.” The group turned to Suga. “I don’t want to see anyone else dead. So, let’s promise to not kill each other.” He turned to Hinata. “We’ll find another way out.”

“ _ So arousing, Sugawara! But then again, you are the Ultimate Teacher. Encouraging is what you do! _ ” The group looked at the TV screen in the dining area, all glaring at Monokuma. “ _ Why all the long faces? I just wanted to tell you all that we’re having another meeting, so meet in the gym ASAP! Tata! _ ” The TV went off.

Kuroo rolled his eyes again, standing. “I hate that bear.”

“Well, it’s best if we don’t keep him waiting,” Suga said with a sigh. “Who knows what’ll happen if we do.”

* * *

“Nice of you to all join me! I hope you all slept well last night.”

“That’s not even funny…” Hinata heard Yamaguchi whisper.

“I mean, who would’ve thought that the two of them had some beef before they got here. But that’s not the point.” Monokuma looked around. “I can sense that you’re hesitant to kill someone else and  _ some of you  _ are hoping that no one will, so I’ll give you a little incentive.”

“And what’s that?” Tsukki asked, pushing up his glasses. He was nervous.

“Just a little…stack of cash.” A platform next to him rose up and on it, was a stack of cash slightly taller than him.

“Dude…” Teru looked at the stack, eyes wide. “That’s a lot of yen.”

“And it could be all yours at the low price of killing someone!”

“You really think that we’ll kill someone for money?! We can’t even get out of here! What would we use it for?”

“You’re really starting to get on my nerves with this good boy act, Sugawara."

"You  _ kidnapped  _ us and  _ I'm  _ the one getting on your nerves?!"

"Watch your tone, pretty boy…"

"Hey, hey, Suga…" Daichi grabbed him by the shoulders, spinning him around. "I know you're upset. We all are. But try not to upset him, okay?" The silverette sighed, resting his head on Daichi's shoulder. The ravenette looked back up at Monokuma. "But he's right. What's the point of yen if we can't escape."

"Whoever said anything about not escaping? I told you, if you play your cards right, you can escape with all of this money-”

“Or we can end up like Ushijima,” Kuroo added, raising a brow. “Suga made it sound sappy earlier but the message is the same…none of us are killing each other. You got it, Teddy Bear?”

“Not even to have your wish granted?”

That caught Kuroo’s attention. “What?”

Monokuma pulled out sixteen envelopes from seemingly nowhere. “In these envelopes are all of your deepest, darkest, and richest secrets.” He tossed them all into the air, watching them flutter to the ground. “Kill someone and escape…and that wish will come true.”

“How do we know you’re not lying to us?” Akaashi asked, slowly opening his and taking out a piece of paper. His eyes widened before his face grew red. “How do you know this?!”

Bokuto peered over his shoulder. “Aw, Keiji! That’s so sweet!”

The ravenette buried his face in his hands as Bokuto practically danced around him. “Please, stop, Bokuto-san.”

“If I could figure out your secrets, Chatterbox…do you really think that I don’t have the power to grant them?”

“Any of them?” Kenma asked. “What if it’s bringing back a dead pet or loved one? You really have the power to do even that?”

“You might just have to kill someone to find out. And by the way…more of the school grounds are open so feel free to look around. But don’t go to the aquarium…we’re going there as a group tomorrow. I’ve split you guys up for our little friend trip. I’ll send the groups to your phones.”

“I thought our phones didn’t work,” Teru said, cautiously. “I don’t even know where mine is.”

“Oh, that’s right! How silly of me to forget! You guys all have Monophones waiting in your rooms! With the best Monokuma technology.”

“Monophones?”

“It does everything that a regular phone can do, except you have no access to the Internet and everything is controlled by me. Your contacts are also set so you can’t call or text anyone who isn’t programmed into the phone already. Now, have fun exploring!”

No one said anything for a while after Monokuma left. Bokuto was the first to speak. “He said he opened up some new things, right? Why not go check them out? C’mon, Akaashi!”

He rolled his eyes, moving to follow his overzealous boyfriend when he felt someone grab his wrist. He turned, raising a brow. “Yamaguchi? Is something wrong?”

“No, but…can I talk to you for a second? It won’t take long.”

* * *

“They have a pool!” Bokuto cried, looking at the workout center. It was one of the only interesting places that opened besides the aquarium. “We have to go, Akaashi!” He turned, looking around. “Akaashi?”

He kept looking but did see the ravenette. “Akaashi, where’d you go?”

“Yes, Bokuto-san? You were looking for me?”

He looked up to see the boy in question walking towards him. “Where were you?”

“Nowhere important, but I did go to pick up your Monophone.” He handed it to Bokuto, who slipped it in his pocket. “Now, what did you want to tell me?”

“This workout center is amazing! We have to use it.”

Akaashi couldn’t help it when a small smile spread across his face. He didn’t say it very often, but he enjoyed seeing Bokuto happy.

“What’s this? The stoic Akaashi Keiji is actually smiling?” The two turned to see Kuroo, Daichi, and Suga walking towards them.

Akaashi's smile dropped. “Shut up, Kuroo.” He was then greeted by Bokuto’s arm wrapping itself around his shoulder.

“Akaashi loves me, even if he doesn’t say it very often, right, Akaashi?”

“Please don’t put me on the spot like this.”

“What a shame,” Suga smirked, resting his elbow on Daichi’s shoulder. “He can’t even say it.”

“I can!” His face went beet red.

“But he doesn’t have to!” Bokuto moved to where he was now standing behind Akaashi, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy. “His wish was even about me.”

“Bokuto-san!” His face somehow got redder.

Suga laughed. “That’s actually pretty sweet.”

“What about you?” Kuroo asked. “Everyone knows that you and Daichi are practically attached at the hip.”

“I won’t deny it, but that’s not what my wish was.” He shrugged. “Killing someone is actually pretty counterproductive in order to grant my wish, considering my wish was for everyone to make it out of here alive.”

“Why are you so sappy all the time?”

“I am not!”

“Akaashi and Suga, our sappy little pretty boys.”

“Shut up!” Both teens buried their faces in their boyfriend’s chest.

“Speaking of boyfriends,” Daichi started, careful to conceal the laugh bubbling in his chest. He did not want to get slapped by Suga today. “Where’s yours?”

“Hinata dragged him to look at some scrap pile that they found towards the back of the workout center. Apparently, they needed him and Yamaguchi to see if they could find anything useful.”

“Speak of the devil, here he comes.”

The five looked up to see Yamaguchi walking towards them, nervously playing with his fingers. “Um…Suga senpai?”

“Yes?” The silverette moved to stand in front of Yamaguchi, looking up slightly. He never realized that the boy was so tall since he always stood next to Tsukishima. 

“Um…I need a little help with something. If you’re busy then that’s okay but-”

“I’m not too busy.” He waved to Daichi before walking away with the first-year. “What’s up?”

“I…I wanna get a gift for Tsukki and I found something to put together. I just don’t know how to go about it. You and Daichi seem perfect for each other, so I thought I’d come to you.”

The older teen gushed, slinging an arm about Yamaguchi’s shoulder, bringing him down to Suga’s height. “You came to the right person! I’d be happy to help!”

* * *

“Alright…Monokuma put me in charge of Group A-”

“Hold it. How come you get to be in charge? You’re not even the oldest.”

“Kuroo, I don’t know you very well, but I wouldn’t trust you with anyone.”

Kuroo raised a brow. “Damn, Bokuto…your little extra’s got sass.”

“My Akaashi is perfect to lead our group!”

“It’s just a guided tour, Kōtarō.” He blushed again. “But thank you.”

“My Akaashi’s blushing! Isn’t he cute?”

Akaashi cleared his throat. “Anyway…our group consists of myself, Bokuto, Kuroo, Tanaka, Kiyoko, Yachi, Kenma, and Asahi.”

“Okay,” Daichi looked around. “I’m in charge of Group B, which is myself, Suga, Hinata, Kageyama, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Terushima, and Nishinoya.”

“Actually,” the group turned to see that Yamaguchi was standing behind Kiyoko and that Kenma was standing behind Hinata. “Kenma and I decided to switch last night. Monokuma said that it was okay.”

“Kitten, I didn’t know about this!” Kuroo looked genuinely hurt.

“It’s fine. We see each other all the time. A few hours apart isn’t a big deal.” He never looked up from his Monophone. “Besides, Asahi and Nishinoya are split up too.”

Kuroo let out a dramatic sigh. “Fine…” He slung an arm around Yamaguchi, who let out a tiny squeak. “I’ll just have Freckles here keep me company.”

“Alright then,” Daichi looked at Akaashi. “If everything’s settled, let’s meet back here in a couple of hours.”

* * *

“So, Freckles, why’d you ditch? Your little boyfriend getting too annoying?”

“What? No! I love being with Tsukki. I just…I don’t know how to tell him that.”

“And that’s why you switched?”

“Not exactly.” He looked at the jellyfish floating around. “You’re just so cool and confident and…I want that confidence too!”

“What?”

“You always say what’s on your mind without any hesitation. I wanna learn how to do that too!”

“Woah, woah, kid…” Yamaguchi turned towards Kuroo. “That’s not just something you learn overnight. That’s just how I am. I’ve never been one to hesitate on anything really.”

“So…I’ll never be able to tell Tsukki how I really feel?”

“Face to face? That’s up to you? Even for me, it was hard. It took me years to tell Kenma how I felt about him.”

“Same with Kōtarō,” Akaashi added, slipping towards the back of the group. “But aren’t you and Tsukishima dating already? Why do you need to tell him how you feel?”

“We are dating, technically. But…we have that relationship where we just sort of…clicked, I guess? Tsukki isn’t very good at expressing his emotions and I’ve always been too shy to do it. And being here got me thinking…seeing people like Sugawara and Daichi or you and Bokuto, it made me realize that I’ve never really told Tsukki how I feel.”

“I get it.” 

Yamaguchi looked at Akaashi, eyes wide. “Really? But you and Bokuto always look so happy together. I can tell even with your poker face.”

“Yeah but…Bokuto-san’s the one with the ‘I love you’s and the kissing and hugging. Sometimes I think that I don’t tell him that I love him as often as I should either.” He looked up at the fish swimming overhead with a smile. “But…I know that he still knows. I don’t know how, but he does.” He looked at the freckle-faced boy. “I’m sure Tsukishima feels the same way about you. We don’t have to be like Suga or Kuroo for them to know that we love them.”

“But…there’s nothing wrong with a gesture of love every now and again.” Kuroo quickly added.

“Speaking of, did you give him your gift?” Yamaguchi nodded. “And?”

“I told him to open it when he thought the time was right. He didn’t outright say it…but I think he liked it.”

“Well, that’s good. Just another step in the right direction then.”

Yamaguchi smiled, looking between his two senpais. “Thanks, you guys.”

* * *

“It seems like everyone’s back. We still have some time to kill before lunch so I guess we can just look around until then.” Daichi said once they had all gathered back by the entrance of the aquarium.

Everyone began to disperse as Tsukishima looked around. We then walked up to Asahi and Noya. “Have either one of you seen Tadashi?”

“Yamaguchi?” Asahi paused, looking around. “I think he said something about going to the bathroom or something.”

“The bathroom?” Noya asked, looking up at Asahi. “I thought they don’t open until five. That’s why Monokuma told us to make sure that we went before we came.”

“Whatever, it’s cool. I’ll just text him.”

Tsukishima pulled out his phone, walking back to the paleolithic fish exhibit, his favorite one by far. He sent a quick text to Yamaguchi before he heard footsteps behind him. He turned before he groaned. “What do you two want?”

“You’re going back to that patho…whatever it was, fish exhibit, right?” Hinata replied, practically bouncing.

The blonde pinched his nose with a sigh. “The paleolithic one, yes, I am. I don’t see what that has to do with either of you.”

“You’re the Ultimate Palot…Patho…that, so you must know a lot of stuff about it! So can you teach me and Kageyama some stuff?”

“I’m sure anything I tell you will just fly right over your heads but if you insist. I know that you won’t take no for an answer anyway.”

It didn’t take them long to reach the paleolithic fish exhibit. Tsukishima started excitedly rattling stuff off about prehistoric fish, and to the ginger’s credit, he was attentively listening. He looked at the tanks, trying to find all the fish that Tsukishima had told him about when he came across something rather disturbing.

“Um…Kageyama…Tsukki, you might wanna see this.”

“If you’re going to ask questions, at least don’t interrupt me, Shorty.”

“No, you don’t understand, Tsukishima.” It was Kageyama this time.

Tsukki finally turned. “What?!” Upon looking at the tank though, any retort fell from his lips. Swimming in the tank among the fishes, bound and gagged was… 

“...Tadashi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you all will suffer because our favorite first-year cinnamon roll is dead. I know...I cried a little too.  
> Anyway, up next is the trial so stay tuned. Don't forget to leave kudos and comments, I love it when you guys do!  
> Stay tuned and see you guys l8tr!


	5. Chapter 2: Revenge- Trial (Pt. 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let the trial for Yamaguchi Tadashi begin!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember to follow Behind the Galaxy on all her social media platforms.
> 
> Tiktok: @behindthegalaxy7  
> Twitter: @BTGalaxy7  
> IG: behind_the_galaxy_7  
> YT: Behind The Galaxy

"We need to get him out of there!"

"How, Hinata?!" Kageyama looked around, looking for something to break the tank.

Tsukishima pressed a button on the wall to stop the water from flowing from exhibit to exhibit. He ran farther down to where Tadashi had drifted off.

He pressed his hands to the tank. "C'mon, Tadashi. Stop playing around." He banged on the glass once before looking at his hand. Kageyama was the first to see him, quickly running over to him before he could punch the glass.

"You'll break your hand, dumbass!"

"But Tadashi is in there! _My_ Tadashi!"

Kageyama took a step back, looking at Tsukishima as he pathetically continued to bang on the glass.

Kageyama looked around to find Hinata running towards them, carrying one of the signs from the aquarium. Kageyama gasped, practically tackling Tsukki out of the way as Hinata smashed the glass with the sign.

"Hinata, boke! Are you trying to kill us all?!"

"How else were we supposed to get him out?"

"A warning or something would've been nice! You could've drowned us all with that much water."

"It would’ve spread out across the floor! Look, it's only ankle deep."

"That's not the point, Hinata!" Kageyama looked to see Tsukishima kneeling over Yamaguchi. He walked over to them, looking over the blonde’s shoulder. He took in his skin, the way his mouth was slightly open, water leaking out of it, and the soaking wet cloth and rope. "He looks like he's been in there for an hour or two."

"We need to get the others."

"With the amount of water you just spilled, I'm sure they'll come soon enough."

"But everyone’s all split up-"

"Tadashi, you dumbass…" Both Hinata and Kageyama looked up to see Tsukishima grabbing Yamaguchi by his green hoodie, his hands trembling. "You know you can't fool me. Wake up." He slapped him once. Twice.

The teen’s head just bobbed back and forth.

Kageyama grabbed him again before he could slap Yamaguchi a third time. "Dude, stop slapping him! It's not gonna help."

"Well how else am I supposed to wake him up?" It didn't go unnoticed how shaky his voice was.

Hinata approached the two cautiously. "Tsukishima, I'm sorry but…Yamaguchi is de-"

"No he's not. He just wants to get a good laugh outta us, like he always does. Like he used to do." He began to violently shake the teen, so much so that the water began to slosh and ripple around them. "Come on, Tadashi! Get up!"

This was the first time that Hinata got a good look at the blonde. At that moment, the look on Tsukishima's face was painted in the image of despair.

"GET UP, YOU DUMBASS! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! TADASHI, GET UP!"

"What's with all this yelling?"

Hinata and Kageyama looked up to see the others running towards them. Suga was the first to reach them all. "And all this water. What did you three…" He stopped, looking over at Tsukishima. He felt his stomach drop. He cautiously approached Tsukishima. "Hey, Tsukishima…listen to me."

"Shut up! He's not dead, he can't be!" He let the boy in his arms drop as Suga kneeled next to him. "Everyone loved him. Who would want to kill him?"

"I don't know, Tsukishima. I don't know." The bell rang overhead as Tsukishima allowed himself to cry on Suga's shoulder. The silverette didn't even wait for Monokuma to finish before he stood, gently ushering the blonde along. He turned over his shoulder to look at Daichi. "Do your thing and fill me in later, okay?"

"Yeah…be careful."

Hinata watched as the two walked off. He shuddered. He couldn't get his friend's words out of his head. 

" _But Tadashi is in there. My Tadashi!"_

His Tadashi…Tsukishima had never said anything like that before. Tsukishima usually kept it together, but he had completely lost it. Hinata felt his eyes prick.

All because Yamaguchi—the one person that Tsukishima truly cared about—was dead.

"Shōyō? You okay?" He turned to see Kageyama standing next to him. He shook his head. "Yams…he…he's dead. One of our friends…gone."

For once, Kageyama actually hugged him, though the ginger didn't have time to revel in it.

They had thirty minutes to piece the clues together before they had to declare a verdict. 

Thirty minutes to avenge their friend and bring his killer to justice.

* * *

They all entered the room, looking at the picture of Yamaguchi that Monokuma had put up. Sweet, smiling, Yamaguchi Tadashi…and he was dead now. Akaashi spoke first. "Wasn't he the youngest out of all of us?"

Kageyama shook his head. "I'm the youngest…but he's only a month older than me."

"Damn…" Bokuto looked at the picture, squeezing Akaashi’s hand.

"Alright, alright…quit all your moping." Everyone turned to Monokuma. "Who's ready for another class trial?"

"No one is…" Daichi said to no one in particular as he took his place next to Suga. He leaned down to whisper in his ear. "How'd it go?"

The silverette shook his head. "Not good. Poor Tsukishima is devastated."

"Alright…Here's what we're dealing with. At 3:35 PM, Yamaguchi Tadashi was found in the B Section aquarium. The cause of death? Well, it certainly wasn't the sharks!" Tsukishima growled but didn’t say anything else as Monokuma continued. "Anyway, same rules apply! Fins the blackened or you'll die, yada, yada, yada. Now that all the boring stuff is covered…LET THE CLASS TRIAL BEGIN!"

Hinata was the one to start. "Alright. What we know so far is that we found him in the sea-"

"We were assigned groups to explore the terrarium like a bunch of middle schoolers, and in those groups, we had partners. So, the person he was with _must_ be the killer! And who was the last person he was with?"

"Kuroo!" Bokuto answered, only to receive a soft smack in the head from Akaashi. "What?!"

"C'mon, Brokuto! You really think it was me and I was with _you_ the whole time?"

"Yeah, dude, what the hell?! You tryna get us killed?!" Noya sighed. He was on edge. They all were. More so than the last trial.

Tsukishima was the first to respond. "I'm pretty sure anyone with a brain can connect the dots. Kuroo's the killer. He was the last person Tadashi saw."

Hinata couldn't help but look on in surprise. _This isn't like Tsukishima at all. He wouldn't make a rash decision without seeing the evidence first!_

Kageyama, per the duo's fashion, said exactly what the ginger was thinking. "Tsukishima, I know you're acting out of emotion…but we can't tell if Kuroo did it yet."

"No, no…it's fine, Kageyama." The ravenette in question smirked. "No need to speak for me."

"Oi! We all gotta focus." Tanaka's comment was ignored in the commotion.

"I said I can defend myself, Baldy."

"Hey, I am not-"

Kuroo turned back to Tsukishima. "Did you forget the little trade?"

Tsukishima's face shifted to a more neutral expression. "What?"

"Kenma and Yamaguchi agreed to switch groups, remember? You wanted Yams to get on your level since I'm the other scientist in here. So you had him go with me."

"Woah, woah!" The two were cut off by Asahi. "Isn't that a bit _too_ defensive?!"

"Asahi's right," Yachi added. "W-we can't fight now!"

"Yamaguchi _wanted_ to go with you. It was his choice! And you have no right to call him Yams when you barely knew him."

"Hey! Break it up, you two!" Both teens sent a hateful glare to Kageyama. He didn't back down. "Our lives are on the line!"

"Yeah, Kuroo, chill." The man in question was almost surprised to hear Kenma say something to him. "You're going a bit overboard-"

"And I _know_ you took that opportunity to make the kill!" Tsukki finished, ignoring all the in-between comments.

Kuroo looked around the room. He looked at Tsukishima, who he would've been standing next to. Himself and who was standing next to him. Bokuto and Akaashi standing next to each other, as well as Asahi and Noya standing next to each other.

The last person he looked at was Suga, who was standing directly across from him, right next to Daichi. He smirked. "Ah, so that's why you care so much right now."

Suga seemed to realize what he was about to say. "KUROO, THAT'S ENOUGH-"

No one had ever seen the silverette so angry, but it didn't deter Kuroo. He looked Tsukishima dead in the eye. "Tadashi would be alive if it wasn't for you."

The room went silent.

Tsukki's shoulders hunched up before he let out a shaky breath. Soon after, the first tear fell.

"Aww…did I hurt the smartass's feewings?"

"Kuroo!" Kenma had enough sense to look at his boyfriend like he was insane.

Tsukishima moved away from his podium without a word. "Hey, Four Eyes!" He ignored Monokuma. "You're not allowed to get out of your podium."

He continued walking up to Kuroo. 

"Hey, you heard the Build-a-Bear. Get back to your stand."

The blonde only looked down at the necklace around his neck (Hinata hadn't noticed it until then) before he socked Kuroo straight in the face. He went down, holding his nose.

"Tetsurō!" Kenma went down with him.

And just like that, the whole room went into a frenzy. Tsukishima’s collected self snapped when Kuroo mentioned Yamaguchi. And based on everyone’s expressions, no one had expected that.

Monokuma had called for a recess not long after. Tsukishima was the first to leave, practically storming out of the room. Hinata was quick to follow him. It was as he was leaving that he stole a glance at Yachi, who was closest to the door. The poor girl looked terrified. He gave her a quick smile before walking out of the room.

Kuroo stood with some help from Kenma, still holding his nose. Akaashi scoffed. "Nice going, smartass."

"How the hell was I supposed to know that he would punch me in the nose?!"

"You just told him that it was his fault his boyfriend died," Teru responded with a shrug. "You kinda had it coming, Kuroo."

"Damn…that hurt. Kid knows how to throw a punch."

"Looks like he just avoided breaking your nose," Kenma said, sounding tired of his boyfriend's complaining. "Lucky you."

Kuroo simply rolled his eyes. Suga glared at him. "Don't you see where he's coming from?"

"Not really."

Suga sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What if it were Kenma and not Yamaguchi?" The ravenette didn't answer. "Now do you see where he's coming from?" He gestured for Kuroo and Kenma to follow. "Let's get him cleaned up, Kenma. Daichi, Akaashi…please keep the peace."

* * *

Hinata was surprised that Tsukishima actually let him follow him. He was even more surprised that he let the ginger into his room.

The two sat in silence for a while; Tsukishima on his bed and Hinata on the floor. He tried speaking. "So…why _did_ Yams want to switch?"

The blonde shrugged. "He was trying to prove something to me, I guess. Said he "wasn't cool enough" for me." He scoffed with a smile. "That idiot…"

"And the necklace…I've never seen it before."

"Tadashi too. Said that I should open it when I "thought the time was right"." He looked at the locker in his hand.

* * *

_Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were in the latter's room, currently getting ready for bed. It had become a ritual for the two to sleep together ever since Oikawa and Ushijima were killed. Not that Tsukishima minded. Yamaguchi was like a big teddy bear when he slept (minus the flailing limbs from time to time), so he found comfort in it as well._

_He had already taken his glasses off and had gotten under the covers when the younger teen spoke. "Tsukki…I wanna go with Kuroo tomorrow."_

_Tsukishima looked at the slightly blurry form standing next to the bed. "What? Why do you wanna go with Rooster Head?"_

_"I don't feel like I'm good enough to be around you."_

_This shocked the blonde. He knew that Yamaguchi had been shy and a little unsure about their relationship, but he was usually the one to suggest hanging out next to each other. He looked at his boyfriend, giving him a soft smile. "May I ask why, Tadashi?" He reached out his hand blindly, waiting for Yamaguchi to take it._

_He felt a dip in the bed before Tadashi spoke again. "Why would the Ultimate Paleontologist be around some boring electrician? This trip to the aquarium is your time to shine."_

_"But-"_

_He felt a finger against his lips. "I wanna be as cool and as smart as you, Tsukki." The hand fell. "And since Kuroo's on your level, I wanna ask him for some advice."_

_"Idiot…there's nothing cool about looking at old lizard and fish bones."_

_Yamaguchi laughed, leaning his head on Tsukishima's shoulder before he popped back up. "Oh wait! I have something for you! Something I made that I'm actually proud of!_

_He felt something cold wrap around his neck. He looked down at the thing in his hand. "...I don't have my glasses, Tadashi. I can't see anything."_

_"It's a locket!" He felt Tadashi's hands wrap around his. They warmed the cold metal. "But don't open it until you truly feel like the time is right. I'm sure you can figure out when to open it since I can't!"_

_"...You made it but you can't open it?"_

_"I found it in the trash heap. Then I cleaned it and polished it. I managed to get it open before I closed it the first time. Then I tried to open it again but-"_

_"Alright, alright." He looked away with a blush as his boyfriend squeezed his hands. "Stop getting so mushy about it, dude."_

_"I knew you'd like it," Yamaguchi laughed as the two laid down. The two moved like clockwork. Tsukki wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist as Tadashi placed his hands on the blonde's chest, fiddling with the necklace. "I love you, Tsukki. Goodnight."_

_"Goodnight, Tadashi."_

* * *

Tsukishima was pulled back into reality when he felt something wet fall on his hand. He touched his face.

They were his own tears. He didn't know when he started crying, but at some point he had.

He heard footsteps and then saw someone else's feet. He looked up. Hinata was still there. He looked determined as he spoke.

"We'll avenge Tadashi's death and bring his killer to light. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all...this one hurt...and this is only the first part of the trial. *sobs*
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and comments. They make me feel so much better knowing that you guys are enjoying this.
> 
> See you guys l8tr!


	6. Chapter 2: Revenge- The Trial (Pt. 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial continues as Hinata and the others work to find Yamaguchi's killer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! Great day to ruin everyone's day as we watch one of the sweetest couples get torn apart...I'm sorry.
> 
> Tiktok: @behindthegalaxy7  
> Twitter: @BTGalaxy7  
> IG: behind_the_galaxy_7  
> YT: Behind The Galaxy

The trial had started up again about an hour later. Suga and Kenma had managed to stop Kuroo’s nose from gushing blood to find that, luckily, it wasn’t broken. Tsukishima’s impromptu talk with Hinata had managed to calm him down just enough to where he could rationally think again. Overall, the mood had returned to its normal intensity that usually came along with a class trial. Monokuma opened the floor back up to the fifteen remaining teens.

No one really knew what to say, so Kuroo, cautiously, was the first to speak. “Just in case any of you still think it’s me, Yamaguchi left me to go somewhere else.” He turned to Tsukishima. “I would’ve told you before you, ya know…punched me and almost broke my nose."

"Can you blame me?" Tsukishima asked, narrowing his eyes. "Next time, I'll make sure to go easier on the person who shit talked Tadashi."

"Hey, hey…no bad-mouthing was done on my part." He put his hands up in mock surrender, putting on his signature smirk. "No harm was meant to be done."

"Gee, thanks. I'm sure you meant well."

"Kuroo, Tsukishima…" Akaashi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Arguing isn't gonna get us anywhere. And I think Kiyoko and Tanaka actually had something _important_ to say before you two started screwing around." He turned to the female. "Now, you were saying?"

"While Tanaka and I were looking at Yamaguchi, not only were the ropes snapped, but he had rope marks on his wrists."

"Well if his hands were tied then there would obviously be rope marks," Kenma countered before Kuroo could say something worse.

"It means that he was struggling. When some types of ropes get wet, they become weaker. So between the wet ropes and the adrenaline-induced strength he probably got, he was able to snap the ropes."

"That still doesn't explain how Tadashi got there in the first place," Tsukishima said, pushing up his glasses. "People seem to forget that he's pretty tall too."

"Because he always stands next to you," Kuroo smirked.

Akaashi rolled his eyes. "You two are practically the same height."

"Was he really that tall though?" Teru asked, looking around the room.

"Considering the fact that I'm slightly taller than average height and he was about five centimeters taller than me, I'd say so," Suga replied. "How tall was he?"

"About 180 centimeters," Tsukki answered, looking around. "Slightly shorter than Kageyama."

"That still makes him taller than the majority of us," Suga mused. "Not to mention the fact that it would be nearly impossible for even the people who were taller than him to carry him off if he were struggling."

"That, my good friends, is why I don't think our dear Yamaguchi was conscious." Everyone turned to Tanaka. "Before me and Kiyoko left the seawater tank, we found a bat hidden kinda behind it. So the killer must have knocked Yamaguchi out, then tied him up and threw him in the tank."

Suga turned back to Tsukishima. "Is that possible?"

The blonde shrugged. "Last time he told me, he only weighed sixty-three kilograms. It might've been a struggle but not impossible."

“That makes sense!” Yachi suddenly cried. “If the killer knocked out Yamaguchi with the bat, then they could’ve just used the water in the tank to wash off the blood. That’s why no one had blood on them when they got back to whatever group they were in in such a short time!”

“Hold on, Yachi.” The blonde turned to Hinata. She seemed shocked that he had said anything.

“Yes? Did I say something wrong?”

“I don’t know if I’d call it wrong. But Tanaka and Kiyoko never said that they saw blood on the bat, which would’ve still been wet if the killer washed it off. Also, if there was blood involved, the sharks would’ve gotten to Yamaguchi first.” He turned to Tsukishima. “What’s the exhibit right next to the palo thing?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “For the last time, it’s _paleolithic_ and it’s the carnivorous fish exhibit. As soon as they smell blood, they attack. Yamaguchi wouldn’t have survived long in that tank if he was killed by blunt force trauma strong enough that caused him to bleed.”

“And the ropes were torn,” Kiyoko recalled. “He wouldn’t have been able to tear them off if he were dead unless a fish did it.”

“Carnivorous species won’t come to something bigger than them if there’s no blood. So a fish ripping through Tadashi’s ropes is unlikely.”

“Kuroo mentioned that Yamaguchi had to go somewhere, right?” Everyone turned to Daichi, who was deep in thought. “Could the killer have lured him in just like Ushijima did with Oikawa?”

“You think the killer used the same method Ushijima did?” Tanaka asked.

“Not just that,” Kuroo answered, mirroring Daichi’s expression. “But this person had to be _pretty_ good at convincing.”

“What do you mean?”

“The kid was skittish at best. He wouldn’t go somewhere alone without anyone else with him. Considering the fact that Tsukishima was with the other group, him leaving without proper cause is suspicious.” He looked around. “...I think he was killed by someone he already knew pretty well, or at least trusted a lot.”

Everyone turned to Tsukishima. He began rattling off names. “If it was someone that he already knew, it only could’ve been me, Hinata, Kageyama, or Yachi. If we’re talking someone that he trusted, we can add Sugawara, Daichi, and Akaashi to that group.”

“Okay, so Sawamura…” Daichi looked at the other ravenette. “How often did you check your group?”

“Every exhibit. Suga helped a little too. Our group was mainly would-be first years so we made sure to check every so often.”

“And did anyone ever leave?” 

Both Suga and Daichi shook their heads. “We met in the middle, so we would’ve been on the other side of the aquarium anyone. Even if someone did leave, we would’ve noticed well before they had enough time to kill Yamaguchi and come back.”

“So that rules out myself, Tsukishima, Hinata, Daichi, and Suga,” Kageyama said, looking around again. “So the killer had to be in Group A since they started in the A section of the aquarium, which is right next to the B section that Yamaguchi was killed in.”

“Makes sense,” Kuroo remarked. “Yamaguchi said that he would be right back when we were in the C section, so it wouldn’t be that long of a walk for him or the killer.”

“Okay, so Group A had Kuroo, Bokuto, Akaashi, Tanaka, Yamaguchi, Terushima, and Yachi. The only people left on our initial list are Akaashi and Yachi.”

“I was the group leader,” Akaashi defended. “I was at the front of the group the entire time and I wouldn’t have just been able to leave without making the whole group know that I was gone.”

“Yeah! And I was with Akaashi the entire time!” Bokuto added, yelling in said teen’s ear once again.

“So that leaves…” He looked at the last person left. “Yachi Hitoka, who, if I recall, is the Ultimate Advertiser.”

The group went silent until Noya spoke up. “Wait, Yachi?! But she wouldn’t hurt a fly! Forget killing someone!”

“Why don’t we let her defend herself then?”

He was interrupted by Monokuma’s laugh. “Puhuhuhu! Things are getting interesting! Anything to say, Yachi?”

The whole group turned to her. She had her head down and the poor girl was shaking. When she looked up, her expression had startled the whole group. “YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR MIND IF YOU THINK _I_ KILLED YAMAGUCHI!”

It was feral. Pure fear and rage mixed together.

Kiyoko was the first who was able to compose herself enough to speak. “Yachi, are you okay?! I’ve noticed that you haven’t been acting like herself ever since we went on the recess-”

“LIKE NISHINOYA SAID, I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!” She pointed an accusatory finger at Kuroo. “KUROO WAS WITH YAMAGUCHI AND HE’S THE ONLY OTHER SMART PERSON HERE! I'M TELLING YOU! KUROO IS THE KILLER! BUT NO! YOU JUST HAVE TO BLAME ME, THE WEAK ONE! THE PERSON WHO CAN’T EVEN DEFEND HERSELF!”

It was Hinata’s turn to try and talk to the blonde. “Yachi, calm down. I agree with Kiyoko. You’ve been pretty jittery ever since Tsukishima punched Kuroo. It was like you were scared.”

“I was scared!”

“No…scared that he would do the same thing to you.”

“What are you talking about, Hinata?!”

“Alright…” Suga was a reassuring but stern voice next to Hinata. How he had managed to stay calm was beyond anyone in the group. He turned to Kageyama. “We just need to get everything clear before we jump to conclusions again.”

“Yeah,” Kageyama agreed, crossing his arms. “And that means questioning everyone and anyone who lines up with the evidence.” He turned to Yachi. “And I wanna start with you.”

“Now, hold it-”

He quickly cut her off, addressing the rest of the group. “Yachi’s behavior has been _way_ off, as I’m sure you all can see. Her usual self wouldn’t want to argue against me either; it’s just not in her nature. And we’ve all seen this behavior in the previous suspect, so this isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to pointing stuff like that out.” He turned back to Yachi. “Your response.”

“First off, Kuroo is the smartest person here. He could fool you all with just one sentence-”

“Then I’ll back up Kuroo.” The group turned to Akaashi, surprised that he was willing to back up someone who he borderline hated. “He was with Bokuto and me close to the front. I watched him walk up there. We both stayed behind to talk to Yamaguchi then he left and started talking to Bokuto. I kept talking with Yamaguchi for a few more minutes before Bokuto-san called me over. So it couldn’t have been Kuroo, no matter how cunning he may or may not be.”

“You still can’t openly compliment me…”

“Also,” Kageyama continued. “If you really wanna talk convincing people, your Ultimate is advertising, which I’m pretty sure is a fancy way of convincing. Got any other proof?”

Yachi actually growled at the ravenette. “Oh? So you wanted _real_ proof? FINE! HOW ABOUT THE SECURITY CAMERA FOOTAGE, _TOBIO_ _?!”_ The only reaction she got from the boy in question was a scoff at the use of his first name. "Last time I checked, I was there with the group. You know who wasn’t there? KUROO AND YAMAGUCHI! SO THERE IT IS, CLEAR AS CRYSTAL! KUROO KILLED YAMAGUCHI AT THAT TIME! YOU CAN ASK KIYOKO, DAICHI, AND SUGA! THEY WERE WITH ME WHEN WE WATCHED THE FOOTAGE!”

“That footage was recorded beforehand!”

“What?!”

“The bathrooms don’t open until 5 PM.” He looked around to see if anyone had a watch on. “Akaashi, what time is it now?”

He checked his watch. “About fifteen till five.”

“Exactly. And Monokuma, what time was Yamaguchi’s body discovered.”

“3:35 PM by you, Ginger, and Four Eyes.”

“Right.” He turned back to Yachi. “So how would it have been possible for Yamaguchi _and_ Kuroo to go into the bathroom if it was closed.”

“A few of us went there yesterday,” Suga commented. “If I remember correctly, it was Daichi, Yamaguchi, Akaashi, Bokuto, Kuroo, and myself. It was when you all were looking at the trash pile while we were looking at the athletic center. Yamaguchi and Kuroo said they had to use the bathroom so they went inside the aquarium. We all watched them go in.”

“If that was yesterday, then why were they wearing the same clothes, _Sugawara_?” Her tone actually startled the silverette.

“I can answer that,” Kageyama answered with a smirk. “I remember one day when we were all sitting in the cafeteria that you mentioned to Terushima that you won first place for a film project before coming here.”

“Oh, yeah!” Teru exclaimed. “I remember that! We were all going around and saying one cool thing about ourselves.”

* * *

_“So you got your tongue piercing off of a dare?” Suga asked with a snort. “What was it?”_

_“I got dared to ask some girl out my last year of junior high. She was pretty too. Anyway, the dare was that if I got rejected, I had to get a tongue piercing.”_

_“So you got rejected?” Kuroo smirked._

_Teru blushed. “N-No! I didn’t get rejected! I just…I just thought getting one would be cool anyway!”_

_“You are such a liar.” Kenma didn’t even look up from his Monophone as he rolled his eyes._

_“Well not everyone can be a heartthrob like your boyfriend, Kenma!”_

_“A heartthrob you say?” Kuroo caught the dinner roll that Kenma had haphazardly thrown at him._

_“Don’t give yourself that much credit…you’re not a heartthrob.”_

_“Says the one dating me.”_

_“That was because you kept bothering me for years until I finally just said yes.” The group almost missed the blush dusting Kenma’s nose. “I didn’t realize I’d get stuck with you.”_

_“I love you too, Kitten.”_

_“Anyway, I think it’s your turn, Yachi.”_

_“Oh! Um…I don’t know. I’m really not that cool.”_

_“Come on, Yachi!” Hinata cheered. “Surely you’ve done at least one cool thing.”_

_“Well, let’s see…” She thought for a while. “I guess it’s not that cool, but I won a film contest my last year of junior high.”_

_“That’s pretty cool!” Hinata reassured her. “What’d you do? Shoot the camera around and put videos together.”_

_“Actually…it was more like editing and cropping. I did shoot videos and compile them together, but that was the easy part. I think I spent a good two days alone just trying to edit a thirty-second video. It was a lot of recoloration and adding things to the scene, editing things out…I bet this sounds pretty boring.”_

_“Not at all!” She looked at the other blonde. “I could never do any of that stuff. When we get out of here, you’ll have to show it to us!”_

_Yachi’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to!”_

* * *

“OH, SO A DAMN KIDDIE PRIZE IS PROOF THAT I’M A KILLER! WHY CAN’T EVERYONE JUST FORGIVE ME ALREADY? IT’S NOT THAT HARD!”

“Forgive you for killing someone like Yamaguchi?”

“IT’S ALL KUROO’S FAULT, NOT MINE! IT’S ALL IN THE FOOTAGE!” She looked between the three third years she was with earlier. “Someone else tell him!”

“The footage was taken beforehand and edited in current time. It’ll take a lot more than that to convince me otherwise. And the A section part of the aquarium is close to the security feed.” He looked around the group again. “I think all of this is enough evidence to prove that Yachi is the killer.”

“I told you I didn’t do it.”

“Shut up, Kuroo.”

“But Kenma…I’m home free! You should be happy for me.”

“Shut up.”

“What?” Kuroo looked at the blonde and actually flinched. She looked like she was ready to murder him right then and there.

“SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

“Y-Yachi?”

“Shut up you blonde-haired traitor!” She looked down at her hands. “For as long as I can remember, Mom always wanted me to grow a spine…”

* * *

_“And since Yui called in sick that day, I had to be Villager B for the school play.”_

_“Well, was it fun?”_

_“No! It was scary! All those people staring at you, watching you every move. I was so scared that I would make a mistake and everyone would see or they would laugh at me. All the other kids looked like they were having fun. I really tried to but…” She started to cry. “It was just so scary!”_

_“Oh, Hitoka…” Her mom wrapped the smaller girl in a hug. “With that behavior, you’re gonna be someone’s next toss bag.” She held the girl at arm’s length. “You gotta learn how to fight for yourself if you wanna survive in this world.”_

* * *

“I knew I had to stop being dependent on the team and get out myself. And Yamaguchi was the most vulnerable of the group, he always has been. Clinging on to Tsukishima and never leaving his side, trusting everyone he met…But once I saw myself in him, I just…panicked. I…” She broke down into a sob, crouching down and covering her head. Her screams reverberated through the otherwise quiet room. 

No one knew what to say as she continued to scream and cry. “I DIDN’T WANT TO KILL HIM, SO WHY CAN’T YOU JUST FORGIVE ME?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH I’VE REGRETTED THIS?! I KEEP SEEING YAMAGUCHI! I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO CLOSE MY EYES WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT HIS FACE AS I WATCHED HIM DROWN! MY FRIEND! IT WAS THE WORST FEELING I’VE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! I JUST WANTED TO SEE MY MOM AGAIN! I DIDN’T MEAN FOR IT TO-”

“Crying and screaming won’t erase what you’ve done.” Everyone looked at Tsukishima. His expression was unreadable. “Come on, Hinata. Let’s get this sob story over with.”

Hinata was caught off guard. “Um…okay. I think me and Kageyama can piece together the whole story.”

* * *

“Using the editing app on the Monophones Monokuma gave us earlier, the killer used the opportunity to sneak out into the security feed and edit the previously recorded footage in so it would look like they were still with the group. They then uploaded to the feed and swapped the actual file for the one they edited. Kageyama?”

“Beforehand, the killer convinced Yamaguchi to separate from the group so they could talk.”

_“Hey, Yamaguchi?”_

_“Hm? Oh, Yachi! Is something wrong?”_

_“I think I dropped my Monophone back at the A section when I was taking pictures. Do you think you could go back with me? I’m…I’m too scared to go by myself.”_

_“Oh, yeah, of course! You said you dropped it in the A section, right?” The blonde nodded. “Okay. If we’re quick, then I’m sure we can make it back before the group keeps going. The D section is the section we’re meeting in anyway.” With that, the two turned back around and walked back to the A section._

“The killer used this opportunity to grab the bat nearby the girl’s bathroom, which was by the tank the two were standing in front of…and knocked Yamaguchi unconscious.”

_“Did you find your phone, Yachi? Cause I don’t see it anywhere.” When he got no response, he turned around. “Yachi?” He didn’t see the blonde anywhere._

_He was starting to get scared. He debated just going back to meet with the rest of the group. The two groups had probably met in the middle by then._

_He gasped when he heard footsteps behind him, turning on his heels. He let out a breath when he saw that it was just Yachi. “You scared me! Did you manage to find your phone?” He looked down to notice that the girl was now holding a bat, a cloth, and a small piece of rope. He took a few steps back. “Um, Yachi? What are you doing with all the stuff?”_

_“...I’m sorry, Tadashi. It could’ve been anyone…it just so happened to be you.”_

_“Y-Yachi, wait!” His back hit the tank behind him. He felt himself beginning to hyperventilate. “Yachi, think this through! You wouldn’t really kill anyone!”_

_“I want to see my mom again…” She raised the bat above her head._

_Yamaguchi crouched, covering his head. There were tears stinging his eyes. So this was it…this was how he was gonna go._

_He didn’t even get a chance to graduate high school. He never got a chance to go to nationals with Hinata and the rest of the team._

_He never got to tell Tsukishima how he really felt about him._

_His soft cries soon turned to sobs. “Tsukki! Someone! Help me! I don’t wanna-”_

_She hit the boy in the back of the head, watching him crumble to the ground. She didn’t hit him hard. Between fear and the fact that the bat was kind of heavy, she wasn’t able to get as much power behind it. She was glad she had a backup plan._

_She quickly flipped the boy over, surprised that he was lighter than she expected him to be. A cruel voice in the back of her mind told her that this wouldn’t be as hard as she thought it was going to be._

_She quickly tied the boy’s wrists behind his back and tied the white cloth around his mouth. Discarding the bat in the shadows of the tank, she struggled to lift the boy. Once she did, she pushed the lid open and quickly threw him into the tank, putting the lid back on and stepping back._

“After covering his mouth with a nearby piece of cloth and tying him up, the killer threw his body in the water in hopes that the carnivorous fish would eat the evidence. However, what the killer didn’t realize was the Yamaguchi regained consciousness while in the tank.

_Yamaguchi stirred with a groan, though he quickly realized that he couldn’t breathe. His eyes shot open, meeting Yachi’s, though she looked hazy…watery._

_Then it hit him. He was the one in the tank._

_He quickly tried to kick open the lid but found that it had been replaced and sealed shut. He felt his heart beat faster as water rushed up his nose._

_He was going to drown. He was going to suffocate slowly and painfully until he died from lack of oxygen._

_His eyes met Yachi’s, begging for her to let him out. He watched as the girl ran away back towards the C section of the aquarium._

_The boy tried screaming, but he knew between the gag and the fact that he was underwater, no one would be able to hear him._

_So he began struggling._

_He pulled at the ropes, twisting and pulling in hopes that he could free himself._

_His lungs were burning and his vision was getting spotty._

_He began to kick at the top of the tank again, quickly flipping around as he freed his hands._

_But it yielded the same results._

_From the inside, he couldn’t push the lid open. He was really going to die._

_He slowly felt his arms grow weak to the point that he couldn’t even lift them. His lungs were beyond the point of burning._

_For the next few moments, he felt numb before his vision went black._

* * *

“Due to the pieces of torn rope, there were signs of a struggle, and Yamaguchi managed to free himself. But once the current dragged him to the B section of the aquarium about an hour later…it was too late.” Kageyama turned to look at the blonde, her eyes cold. “The only person here who was skilled enough to edit the footage and could convince anyone that it wasn’t her…is the Ultimate Advisor, Yachi Hitoka. That sound about right?”

Yachi didn’t say a word as she just looked at Kageyama. The group heard a slow breath being released and they all turned to see the Tsukishima had left his stand again. This time, Monokuma didn’t stop him.

Akaashi and Tanaka were the first to react, moving to grab the taller boy. “T-Tsukishima, what are you doing?”

“Yeah, you idiot! Are you really gonna hit a girl?!”

“Let go of me. Both of you.” His voice was a chilling calm.

“Tsukishima, think this through! I know you’re upset but-”

“I said let me go.” He pushed the two off of him. Tanaka managed to gain his footing, but Akaashi went tumbling to the ground. Bokuto was by his side not even a second later.

The blonde quietly walked up to Yachi, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and lifting her off the ground. The two simply stared at each other, both of them with tears streaming down their faces. “...I’m sorry-”

“I don’t want to hear your pathetic apologies.”

“Hey, let her go!” Kiyoko was the first to try and stop them again to no avail. “Fighting won’t solve anyth-”

She was cut off when not one, but two slaps rang through the courtroom. Both of Yachi’s cheeks were bright red, as well Tsukishima’s hands. 

He brought the older teen closer to his face, his voice a low growl. “You have no idea how much you’ve taken from me today…and I hope you shoulder that regret as you die.”

He threw her to the floor.

 _Once Tsukishima slapped the poor girl and dropped her on the ground…_ Hinata thought as the tablets came up in front of all of them. _I could see the fear in her eyes. The same fear and regret I saw in her before…_

No one had to watch the roulette on the screen to know that they were correct about Yachi being the killer. It only made the girl cry harder.

“Seeing as you all know that Yachi Hitoka is the killer, I’ll skip the middle part. It’s Punishment Time!”

([Execution- click here](https://youtu.be/-jLWu-FnZMI?t=630))

* * *

Tsukishima picked up the letter at Yachi's feet. It was addressed to him. He knew everyone was watching, so he silently read the letter to himself.

> _Dear Tsukishima,_
> 
> _Although my mother wasn't very vocal to me, she was the only one who never hated me in the end._
> 
> _Yamaguchi, Tsukishima, I'm sorry. I'd hate me too._
> 
> _If you're reading this, I must have been caught and am now dead. I know you're made at me. I am mad at myself too. But please, I am begging you. If you manage to get out, tell my mom I love her. Please, I'm begging you._
> 
> _Survive the game for Yamaguchi._
> 
> _Signed,_
> 
> _Yachi Hitoka_

The blonde had no idea when she had time to write this and honestly...he didn't know how he felt about it. At the end of the day, Yachi was once their friend. And she really did feel bad for killing Yamaguchi, but at the same time...she killed Yamaguchi.

Tsukishima didn’t stick around long after that and he was out of the room as soon as he finished the letter. Suga and Akaashi only shared a quick glance and a goodbye to both their boyfriends before they both ran off.

It didn’t take long to find Tsukishima, as he had holed himself in Yamaguchi’s room. Suga looked at the second-year before he gently knocked on the door. “Tsukishima? It’s Suga and Akaashi…we aren’t gonna let ourselves in. We know you need space. But…that necklace that Yamaguchi made you…we think you should open it.”

“And we’re both here for you,” Akaashi finished. “Yamaguchi put his heart and soul into making that.” Akaashi took a long pause, leaning his head against the door. “He was a good kid. He was lucky to have you…and I know you know you were lucky to have him.”

* * *

Tsukishima didn’t say anything as he listened to both his senpai’s retreating footsteps. He looked at the locket sitting in his hand. Yamaguchi said that he would know the right time…and those two seemed to think that it was. He took a breath, trying to twist it open.

It didn’t budge.

“Come on, you stupid thing. Open up.” He tried twisting it again before he saw a latch. He tried pulling it on.

It still didn’t open. “God, why did Yamaguchi make this so dif-”

After another good tug, the locket popped open.

The first thing that fell out was a slip of paper. He picked it up, unfolding it.

It was a picture of a dinosaur. More specifically, he and Yamaguchi riding a dinosaur, no doubt done by Akaashi.

Next to the drawing was a note that said “You make my heart saur!” followed by some hearts. It was Yamaguchi’s handwriting. His beautiful cursive that he’d grown to love.

He gently put the piece of paper down before looking back in the locket. The only other thing in there was an old MP3 player. And there was something on it.

He hit play.

 _“Sugawara senpai, I’m nervous…what if it comes out cheesy?”_ It was Yamaguchi’s voice.

 _“It won’t.”_ This time, it was Suga. _“Just say how you feel. And I already hit record, so you might wanna go ahead and start. Come find me when you finish.”_

There was some shuffling and the sound of a door closing before anyone spoke again.

“ _Hello? Um…Tsukki, if you’re hearing this, I’m probably dead. Or not, which is super embarrassing.”_ Tsukishima could practically _hear_ the blush covering his boyfriend’s face. “ _From the first day I met you, I didn’t know how I felt. Even though people told me to stay away from you… um…”_

A love confession. A genuine love confession in the case that he would die because he knew he was too shy to say anything to Tsukishima’s face.

He hated himself. Why did it have to end with a recording? Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't this be Yamaguchi tell him this in person, face-to-face? He shook his head as the recording continued to play.

_"You're smart, courageous, independent, all the things I wanted to be…I didn't even think I was good enough to be around you."_

"Dammit, Tadashi…not this again-"

_"Yet, you didn't push me away. I know you see the good in people just like I saw the good in you and in other people. But to be honest, I was probably a wuss that was killed off."_

Tsukishima let out a half-hearted chuckle. A wuss he was. Soft-hearted and kind…too kind for his own good. But that’s what he loved about him.

_"I know you can win this game, Tsukki, and live. Don't let my death hold you back. Use it to push yourself forward!"_

They both started to cry at the same time. He could hear his soft sobs in the recording, much like his own.

_"After all…the strong, intelligent, confident, determined Kei I look up to…is the very man I fell in love with."_

Tsukishima gasped, throwing the MP3 player on the bed beside him.

He cursed to himself. "You're more than just a sacrifice, Tadashi. You were so much more than that to everyone." He picked up the picture again, flipping it over.

Written on the back in much simpler handwriting was "I love you, Tsukki. And I'll always be with you."

He hugged that and the recording to his chest, laying down in the bed.

It smelled like him.

It was there, as Tsukishima fell asleep, that he made a promise to himself.

He would win this. For Tadashi.

And he would make sure to crush that bear for making him suffer. Making his friends suffer.

For making him lose the one thing in his life that was more important than he realized.

The thing he took for granted until it was gone.

His Yams.

* * *

**Participants: 18**

**Remaining Survivors: 14**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did this hurt so much?! ;-;
> 
> I hope I didn't ruin you guy's Valentine's Day too bad.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading and thank you for all the comments! I love getting to talk to you guys and I'm glad you guys are all enjoying this (even when it hurts...a lot).


End file.
